Archive for the ‘Mulligan’ Category

I hear ya. Yer doctor just lets you call and say you’re not going to be there and everything is fine. Same thing with the dentist and some other health professionals. Everything is jake. You call up, say you’re not getting there, they cancel your appointment and then you reschedule when you get the chance or whenever what’s bothering you kicks up again.

So what’s this about? Making sure that I don’t lose income? I’ve heard that before and the answer is, “Yes, but that’s not the main reason.” Some people stop at “Yes” and don’t hear the rest. Unfortunate. I do own up to it being, in part, about my income. Your fee is my income. I can’t double book the way physicians and dentists do so, when you don’t show, I don’t get paid for that period of time that I’ve reserved for you.

Ah, there’s another part of the “…not the main reason.” I’ve reserved the time for you. In most cases I can’t rebook the time. I realize this isn’t your problem, except that you want me to keep this time open for you every week, right? If you want me to release the time to someone else, I can do that, but then it’s that person’s if he’s willing to pay for it on a regular basis. Then you & I have to decide on a new schedule and, guess what, it’s still a regular appointment and, you guessed it, you’re going to pay for that missed session.

“Missed” session. Hmmmmm. Yeah, about that. If you don’t show up and you don’t pay it’s not a “missed” session. It becomes a “missing” session. What’s the difference. “Missing” sessions don’t exist. They didn’t happen, there’s nothing to note their passing and there’s nothing to talk about. I know you think there’s nothing to talk about if you miss a session, but that’s not true. There’s plenty to talk about and that’s why it needs to be “missed,” not “missing.” I’ll go further with that another time. Please just take my word on this one for now. If you want to think about it and tell me the difference please feel free to post a comment.

Now, about that rescheduling of our appointment. What are you asking of me with that request? Your asking me to fulfill your wish that you get a Mulligan. The “caring one,” as Harry Stack Sullivan labeled the infant’s primary care giver (often mom but not necessarily,) will do what is wanted. Your wish to be taken care of will be fulfilled no matter what the cost to anyone else. What are you asking of me? You are, in effect, asking me to cut my fee in half by giving you another session (the one you missed plus the”rescheduled” appointment) for the price of one session. Two for one. You’re presuming that I have the open time that will match yours and, maybe, that if I can’t match your time you won’t have to pay because you can’t reschedule and it’s my fault.

That doesn’t answer the question about rescheduling a session. That answer is, if I have time open and it matches your availability then, yes, I will reschedule. Once. Please.

Long ago in a galaxy far, far away I dated a woman who said, in response to my saying I felt “used” about something “Everybody uses everybody. Don’t abuse anybody.” Please.